Books published by publisher Floris Books, 2011

Four unlikely animal companions set off on an adventure to become musicians in the town of Bremen. When night falls and they're cold and hungry, the friends find a cabin in the forest where they could rest and eat -- if it wasn't home to a band of robbers! Can the animals work together, and use their musical voices to chase the robbers away? Children will love braying along with the donkey, barking with the dog, purring with the cat and crowing with the rooster as the animals eventually find a new home. Gerda Muller's beautiful detailed illustrations bring this classic Brothers Grimm fairy tale of animal friends to life.

The little Christmas tree hates its sharp needles, and longs to have soft leaves like all the other trees. But will it be happier when its wish is granted? Perhaps it’s not so bad being a little Christmas tree after all... This is a charming story about learning that the grass is not always greener on the other side. The perfect picture book for a cold winter’s evening around the fireside.

The King of Ireland's Son sets out to find the Enchanter of the Black Back-Lands and meets the Enchanter's daughter, Fedelma. His adventures lead him to the Land of the Mist, the Town of the Red Castle, and the worlds of Gilly of the Goatskin, the Hags of the Long Teeth, Princess Flame-of-Wine, and the Giant Crom Duv. This is a true Irish wonder tale: a coming of age story of the youngest son of the King of Ireland who sets off on an impossible quest. The stories weave together, stories within stories, in a fantastic tapestry of humor, poetry, action and adventure. Perfect for reading aloud at bedtime, generations of children have loved Padraic Colum's unmatched storytelling.

Far far away, the butterfly folk live in a kingdom of beautiful gardens. The butterfly children play, dance and sing all day long with their little brothers and sisters, the caterpillars. The children can't wait until the first day of spring, when they will finally get their wings. But first, they must learn about the many brightly colored flowers in the kingdom, so they can take part in the flying procession of peacock, swallowtail, red admiral and many other butterflies. Beautifully illustrated in the art nouveau style, this is another classic children's story from the author of The Story of the Root Children and The Story of the Wind Children. When the hunter's children fall out of their cradle in the woods, a kind mother rabbit takes them home and cares for them. She makes them rabbit suits to keep them warm and they play happily with her rabbit children. Meanwhile the hunter searches desperately for his children. He comes across some rabbits, which run away in fear. But there's something strangely familiar about these little rabbits, thinks his clever dog, Spot ...

Pip the gnome sits with his friends mouse, rabbit and squirrel to watch the sunset. One by one, Pip's friends go to sleep: the mouse in her bed under a tree root, the rabbit in her burrow underground, the squirrel in his cozy hole high in a tree. Pip is sleepy too. "Sleep well, Pip." Perfect for bedtime, the soft, colorful illustrations and simple, rhythmic words of this beautiful board book prepare very young children for a peaceful night's sleep.

Encounter mythical heroes, mighty eagles and terrifying dragons in this lavishly illustrated adaptation of the classic Finnish epic. This superb prose retelling of Finland's national folk saga is brought to life with exquisitely detailed artwork of magical creatures, snowy mountains, adventurous heroes and dark forests by renowned illustrator Pirkko-Liisa Surojegin. Thrilling and inspiring, An Illustrated Kalevala is the perfect collection to share on a winter's night and will give a lifetime of enjoyment to children and adults alike.

The woodland gnomes are excited to visit their cousins the mountain gnomes. Their journey takes them through the cold forest and over snowy hills, with the help of a sledge pulled by squirrels. When they finally arrive at their cousins' icy home there's fun to be had -- snowball fights, tobogganing and a delicious feast with the elegant Winter Queen. Available in English for the first time, this classic and magical winter story is beautifully illustrated by renowned Swiss artist Ernst Kreidolf in a style reminiscent of Sybille von Olfers.

George is playing with his boats, but there's no wind to make them sail. Then one of the wind children comes and blows especially for him -- and together they embark on a great adventure. The wind child blows dandelions in the meadows, shakes apples from the tree and blows the leaves around and eventually she blows George home on a cloud. From the author of The Story of the Root Children and The Story of the Snow Children, this is another classic children's story with beautiful illustrations in the art-nouveau style.

Evie is a determined, ingenious and sassy little Strawberry Fairy who lives in an old teapot. Join Evie and her friends, the flower fairies and creatures of Wildberry Woods, on their magical adventures in this first book in the Evie the Strawberry Fairy series. When Evie's strawberry patch is flooded she needs to find somewhere for her strawberry plants to live – the flower fairies' backyard is too crowded, the pond is too swampy and the woods are too dark. With the help of her friends, Evie moves her plants to their new home on the little hill, but they still won't grow. What has Evie forgotten? Through Evie's adventures, young readers will learn about the natural world – how plants grow and how all living things are connected. This is a story about determination, working together, caring for each other and putting mistakes right. Stefanie Dahle's illustrations are charming, detailed and full of character and fun.

This collection of stories is based upon tales told by the Buddha to his monks 2500 years ago. Isabel Wyatt’s enchanting retelling conjures up a rich world of eastern legend, ruled by courtly kings and wise men, and populated by brave princes, faithful elephants and cunning monkeys. The stories tell of great adventures and heroes, of danger and courage, and most importantly of how wisdom and thoughtfulness always triumph over selfishness and greed. This anthology was compiled with children around the age of eight in mind -- children who are embarking on more and more adventures in their own lives, and themselves learning to become clever and brave.